Military Mission

In July 1993, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended the realignment of Homestead Air Force Base which covered an area of 2,940 acres. The 31st Fighter Wing was inactivated and all other operations, with the exception of Air Force Reserve activities, were relocated. Homestead then became an Air Reserve Base (ARB) in 1994 with the 482nd Fighter Wing as the host unit. The mission of the 482nd Fighter Wing is to train and equip reservists to respond to wartime and peacetime tasking as directed by higher headquarters.

The 482nd Fighter Wing, Air Force Reserve maintains and operates Homestead ARB located near the southern end of the Florida peninsula, about 25 miles south of Miami. It is a fully combat-ready unit capable of providing F-16C multi-purpose fighter aircraft along with mission ready pilots and support personnel for short-notice worldwide deployment. With its unique geographic location, the 482nd regularly hosts combat units from all over the world. Visiting units come to southern Florida to take advantage of the superb flying weather and the abundant training airspace equipped with state-of-the-art Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation.

As the host unit at Homestead, the 482nd Fighter Wing supports the operations of several tenant units. These include the "scramble" capability of a detachment of North American Air Defense Command F-15 fighter interceptors as well as the drug enforcement air interdiction mission of the U.S. Customs Miami Air Branch. Additionally, the 482nd routinely supports forward deployment of the Air Force Reserve's "Hurricane Hunters" weather reconnaissance mission during the Atlantic hurricane season.

Homestead ARB provides ready access to a strategic staging location on the rim of the Caribbean Basin. The Base supports contingency and training operations associated with the United States Southern Command area of responsibility

Joint Land Use Study Planning Process

The Air Force nominated Homestead ARB as a candidate for the Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) program in 2003 to provide Miami-Dade County and the cities of Homestead and Florida City with the opportunity to prevent urban development from adversely impacting the Air Reserve mission at Homestead. The Air Force's primary encroachment concern is residential development north and west of Homestead ARB. The JLUS was completed in July 2007 based upon the June 2004 Air Installation Compatible Use Zones (AICUZ) study.

The City of Homestead, in cooperation with Miami-Dade County, served as the local sponsor for the JLUS. Both jurisdictions appointed members to serve on the JLUS Policy Committee, which included local elected officials, planning officials, base leadership, property owners, and interested local citizens and businesses. The JLUS includes the following goals:

Control development in the vicinity of the installation that would interfere with the continued operation of the facility.

Plan for the orderly accommodation of new development.

Minimize the impact of growth on existing infrastructure and resources.

Protect and promote the public health, safety, comfort, and general welfare of the residents living on and/or in proximity to the installation.

The City of Homestead adopted 10 out of 11 JLUS recommendations and implemented 8 of them over time. The most significant action was that Homestead established a Zoning District Overlay, which includes locations that require limits on vertical structures, sound attenuation, downward facing lighting, and real estate disclosure. Miami/Dade County adopted all 11 JLUS recommendations (e.g., establishing a Zoning District Overlay) but is still in the process of determining how they will implement them.

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